I WAS interested to read the piece about parents being urged to use "real" nappies (March 29).

It brings back memories of snowy white "flags" blowing in the wind, and the feeling of satisfaction as I looked at them.

I had no washing machine, just a large galvanised tub that stood on my gas cooker and was boiled up every day to ensure a fresh supply of nappies for my baby son.

There were several other young mums around, and we chatted over the fences as we hung the nappies out. It was hard in wet weather to get them dry, too, but somehow or other they did, on the fireguard, over the airer, or even in the oven!

It is a great pity that today's mothers would rather pay out several hundred pounds a year rather than wash a few nappies. I often type up lists of income and outgoings for some of them in my job as legal secretary and am amazed and angry that one "essential" is invariably disposable nappies.

Mothers will moan about how badly off they are, but willingly spend out to save themselves bother. They could have a holiday on what they would save if they made this small effort.

I realised that there must be a problem with all the millions of disposable nappies used. However, I think that is most unlikely that mothers will revert to using towelling or muslin nappies for their babies - we are the throw-away society and nappies come into that category, unfortunately.

For trips out and holidays, disposables are life-savers, but for everyday use they are simply proof of how lazy today's mothers are.

Heather Causnett,

Escrick Park Gardens,

Escrick,

York.

Updated: 09:40 Saturday, April 03, 2004